Cincinnati battles back to beat Virginia Tech in the Military Bowl, 35-31

Was the weather lovely? Nope.

Was the game perfectly played? Nah.

But the Bearcats overcame the weather, turnovers, an injury to Desmond Ridder and a game Virginia Tech squad to storm back to win the Military Bowl, 35-31.

With a three point lead and with a 4th and 1 on the Cincinnati 3, Virginia Tech looked poised to blow the game wide open in the 4th quarter. But the Bearcats forced a fumble after a botched play action pass, won the field position battle, and set themselves up with a chance to regain the lead with 3:36 left in the game.

Michael Warren, the hero of the day for Cincinnati, provided the winning score, an eight yard plunge with 1:29 remaining. Virginia Tech’s comeback hopes ended with a late interception by James Wiggins.

Warren ran for a whopping 166 yards on 20 carries, and Hayden Moore, who stepped in for Riddler, added another 64 on the ground to pace a productive Bearcat running game. In an even game, with eight lead changes and similar offensive production, Warren’s explosiveness was the difference for Cincinnati.

With the win, the Bearcats improved to 11-2.

What an excellent season! We’ll have more on the game, and what happens next, soon.